How to Blow-Dry Your Hair

Beauty Refresher: How to Do a Blowout at Home

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Re-creating the sleek, smooth blowouts your stylists gives you can be daunting. But with a few hair-drying techniques on hand, you'll find that your style will last longer, and your need for straighteners and curling irons will be greatly reduced. Learn how to blow-dry as smoothly as possible (pun intended) when you keep reading.

Preparation: Get Your Hair Heat-Ready
There are two products you want in your hair before you touch a blow dryer to it: something to smooth fly-aways and frizz, and some type of heat protectant. Better yet, look for a product with both benefits, like Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother ($24). Speaking of blow dryers, look for one with a nozzle, such as the Chi Air Ceramic Hair Dryer ($110), so you can target the hot air flow more concisely. You'll also need some hair clips and a round brush.

Pull Off the Style:

Predry your hair (using your fingers or a paddle brush) on your dryer's high-speed, medium-heat setting until it's about 75 to 80 percent dry. This step removes most of the moisture so the bulk of your blow-dry can focus on styling.

Once your hair is partly dry, divide it into three sections — top, middle, and bottom — clipping up the top and middle and leaving the bottom down.

Working in about two-inch sections, roll your hair over a round brush (held horizontally) and dry with your dryer on medium heat. Make sure your hair is held taut in the bristles for better control. Move from roots to ends, directing the flow of your dryer's nozzle downward to keep the cuticles smooth. Tip: the more you hold your brush vertically, the more wave you'll create.

Once the entire section is dry, release the hair from the middle. Repeat the same round-brushing steps from above, and when finished, drop the top section down to complete your blowout. Tip: for added volume, lift your hair straight up at the roots when drying.